Spiritual Growth/
Sanctification and Growth

Because our Savior is the very truth of God (John 14:6), standing for the truth
is an essential part of being a Christian. Yet that does not mean that we break
fellowship over everything that we believe is the ...Read More

John Chrysostom, the noted ancient church preacher, says that the pursuer
of a goal “sees nothing, he thrusts away all who impede him with great force,
he cherishes his mind, his eye, his strength, his soul and his body, looking ...Read More

We do not know our route to resurrection. Perhaps we will die as martyrs or
simply of natural causes, leaving our bodies to rest in the grave until the last
day even as our spirits dwell in heaven until then ...Read More

John Calvin wrote, “Paul speaks here of that righteousness which would satisfy
the common opinion of mankind. For he separates the law from Christ.”
When the law of God is treated as an end in itself, then we start to ...Read More

God is gracious to us in our weaknesses, and, understanding that we are
quick to forget, repeats Himself often in Scripture. In many ways, the Bible
is a very repetitive book, and that is a good thing. Thus, we should ...Read More

While we are certainly not called to seek out persecution, there is also a
sense in which we should expect people to make fun of us or even beat and
kill us when we faithfully proclaim the gospel. As in ...Read More

It is important to note that the peacemaking that reveals our status as God’s
children is peacemaking concerned to promote an authentic, holy peace. The
false prophets of Israel promised a fake, ungodly peace, and many people
today want ...Read More

The greatest glory of heaven is not that we will be free of pain, as wonderful
as that will be. Instead, the ability to enjoy direct, face-to-face communion
with God and see that for which our souls were created will ...Read More

Jesus’ life illustrates the kind of passion for righteousness that all the people
of God are to emulate. He said that His food was “to do the will of [God]”
(John 4:34). For Christ, His very survival depended on ...Read More

Paul could be confident in Timothy’s worth as a fellow minister because of
the ways he had proven his character over time (Phil. 2:22). As we consider
our service in the church, we should also be aware that ...Read More

Today’s passage tells us that as we live a life that reflects the gospel, we not
only become the lights that we already are in Christ but also encourage those
who give the gospel to us. Our church leaders ...Read More

Since we are already lights to the world in Christ Jesus, we can, by His
Spirit, show forth the glory and goodness of God in line with the Father’s
plan. We will fail from time to time and need ...Read More

Augustine says that “[we] are to work with fear and trembling so that [we]
will not, by attributing the good working to [ourselves], be elated by the good
works as if they were [our] own” (ACCNT 8, p. 245). Even ...Read More

If we are surprised when persecution comes, then we will find it more difficult
to endure it and experience the grace of God in our suffering. Yet as we remember
that both belief and suffering are granted to us by ...Read More

Only by faith do we lay hold of Christ’s righteousness, which alone gets us
into heaven. Yet we can also get additional rewards in heaven if we serve God
faithfully. These rewards, however, are still grounded in faith because ...Read More